Yum.

I don’t know which is grosser...

That hubby saw a tick on the wall of his office, or that he felt compelled to post about it.

Now I’m all paranoid.

Damn doctors. It’s SO not fun living with one sometimes.

July??!! Already??!!

We’re closing in on 2 1/2 hours that my boy has been napping. J, not so much. We knew we couldn’t be blessed with two long sleepers. But we knew that going in, wouldn’t trade her for the world, blah, blah. I’m just being selfish. I’d like a little time for me…to work on my coursework, bake chocolate chip cookies, finish my latest quilt, and take a nap myself.

I agree with teachermom…I realized today that summer’s half over. I have accomplished exactly nothing that I had planned to accomplish at the beginning of the summer. I had great plans and even a schedule worked out as to how to accomplish them. Well, the bedrooms are still a wreck, the carpets are still dirty, I’m no closer to having materials worked out for next school year, and the kids and I have made exactly one fun day trip all summer. But I’ve had unending time with them. I’ve learned some things about them that I didn’t know before. And I do have the occasional quiet moment to enjoy things like the quiet summer afternoon rain that’s happening right now. No matter that J is yelling from her crib (happy yells) and pitching her babies wildly to the floor.

So before I go and get her out of captivity, I thought I’d work on this, courtesy of teachermom. It’s so much easier to fill in answers to questions rather than coming up with creative ways to write about the very every-day life happening here.

LAYER ONE:
– Name: Kirsten C.
– Birth date: February 1975
– Birthplace: Akron, OH
– Current Location: Guest room/computer room of our very humid house in southeastern Ohio
– Eye Color: Brown
– Hair Color: Brown. With highlights that I’d like to think are more bold than they really are, and more grays than I really care to count
– Height: 5'8", and short for my weight. =)
– Righty or Lefty: Righty.
– Zodiac Sign: I’m on the cusp of Aquarius/Pisces. I think that’s supposed to mean something, but I haven’t figured out what yet.

LAYER TWO:
– Your heritage: Mostly Welsh, some German.
– The shoes you wore today: Very old Birkenstock knock-offs, but only to go to the store. It’s summer, I’m not working, and I don’t wear shoes unless I have to go someplace.
– Your weakness: Ice cream and people with a sense of humor.
– Your fears: Too numerous to list here, but I’ll start with lightning, freak accidents, dying too early to see my kids grow up, and being alone.
– Your perfect pizza: A chewy crust topped with garlic, goat cheese, grilled chicken, and spinach.
– Goal you'd like to achieve: Being financially stable enough to put my kids through school and still have enough to have a nice home and not worry about retirement..

LAYER THREE:
– Your most overused phrase on Text messaging: I’m on my way home.
– Your first waking thoughts: These days, my first thought is “Great!! They slept in again!!” Which is quickly followed by “Man, August is going to suck when I have to start getting up at 5:30 again.”
– Your best physical feature: I suppose my eyes. I don’t think about this one very much.
– Your most missed memory: College…and the days before I had to worry about feeding, bathing, entertaining, educating, ensuring the health of, and shaping anyone other than myself.

LAYER FOUR:
– Pepsi or Coke: Diet Pepsi. By the case.
– McDonald's or Burger King: I don’t particularly like either, but I’ve learned that having young children necessitates the occasional stop for fast food, be it for a reward, or be it to indulge my own laziness every once in a while.
– Single or group dates: Hmmmmm… Both have distinct advantages. We had a single date the other night (THAT only happens every few months), but we enjoy the company of others as well. Particularly the M’s, the D’s, and the S’s.
– Adidas or Nike: New Balance.
– Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Instant iced tea is the work of the devil. Only D’s homemade works for me.
– Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate. Where’s the question here?
– Cappuccino or coffee: Coffee with a splash of chocolate milk. See? Again with the chocolate!

LAYER FIVE:
– Smoke: No way.
– Cuss: Unfortunately, yes.
– Sing: In church. And in the car by myself.
– Take a shower everyday: Yes. Sometimes more than once.
– Do you think you've been in love: Yep.
– Want to go to college: Perpetually. I want to work on another master’s degree, maybe a PhD someday. D just loves that.
– Liked high school: I think I liked it mostly while I was there, but looking back…not so much.
– Want to get married: Sure!
– Believe in yourself: Most of the time. And only because I’m surrounded by people who think I’m worth believing in.
– Get motion sickness: Occasionally, but only in the car. That’s what makes living in Appalachia fun!
– Think you're attractive: When I make the effort.
– Think you're a health freak: Puh-leeze.
– Get along with your parent(s): Mostly.
– Like thunderstorms: Thunder I don’t mind. Lightning is bad.
– Play an instrument: I suppose I could get by playing either the piano or the flute if someone were holding a gun to my head and told me I had to. I don’t do either one particularly well anymore.

LAYER SIX: In the past month…
– Drank alcohol: Mmmmmm…margaritas!!
– Smoked: Nope.
– Done a drug: Daily, but nothing illegal.
– Made Out: It’s too damn hot.
– Gone on a date: Yes, actually. We found family members who were suckers enough to take both kids for an evening. A blissful 2 hours it was!!
– Gone to the mall?: Yep.
– Eaten an entire box of Oreos?: No, but I helped my children eat some.
– Eaten sushi: Nope.
– Been on stage: Nope.
– Been dumped: Not that I know of.
– Gone skating: I helped A skate, but I didn’t have wheels or blades on myself.
– Made homemade cookies: That’s actually in the plans for this afternoon!!
– Dyed your hair: Yes…and all for my nephew’s wedding!
– Stolen Anything: Nope…not even a few minutes to myself.

LAYER SEVEN: Ever…
– Played a game that required removal of clothing: Uh…no.
– If so, was it mixed company: Can’t even imagine.
– Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: Extremely? No.
– Been caught "doing something": Not that I can recall.
– Been called a tease: Don’t think so.
– Gotten beaten up: Only by my brother. I don’t think that counts, because most of the time I don’t think he meant it.
– Shoplifted: No.
– Changed who you were to fit in: Sadly, yes.

LAYER EIGHT:
– Age you hope to be married: Forever.
– Numbers and Names of Children: 2 children – a boy who is 4 and a girl who is 23 months. I won’t post their actual names (I’m paranoid like that), however we developed a formula for choosing their names quite by accident. Each has a name (either first or middle) for one of our deceased parents. That name also happens to be a saint’s name. Their other name (first or middle) is a Hebrew name. I love their names. I can’t imagine them being anything else.
– Describe your Dream Wedding: Small, intimate, in an old church, lots of flowers.
– How do you want to die: Peacefully, knowing I’ve lived a good life. Nothing tragic, please.
– Where you want to go to college: I did love my college years and feel I chose a great place for me. Knowing what I know now, though…I’d have gone further away from home.
– What do you want to be when you grow up: A good mom.
– What country would you most like to visit: If I could be completely free from fear of flying, violence, and illness, I’d say anywhere in Africa, or the Holy Land.

LAYER NINE:
– Number of drugs taken illegally: None that I can recall.
– Number of people I could trust with my life: Probably several.
– Number of CDs that I own: When we married, the CD collections married too. D’s was obnoxiously huge before I knew him. Now it’s all just one big mish-mash that never gets listened to. We’re all about the iPods.
– Number of piercings: 4, although only two (and possibly none) are still functional.
– Number of tattoos: 0
– Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: Several, mostly back in high school.
– Number of scars on my body: Too many to count. The most prominent? Scars from stitches in my chin, and three surgical scars (two abdominal, one wrist).
– Number of things in my past that I regret: Too many to count, although I’m trying to adopt the attitude that what’s done is done and there’s no use being regretful over things I can’t do anything about. It’s more productive to learn from those mistakes…and move on.

EXTRA STUFF

Lived: Shocker…in Ohio my whole life. Insert loud snore here.
Current addiction: Bing cherries and the Wailin’ Jennys.
Music: Folk, old stuff in D’s collection (but I complain when he turns it on).
Favorite TV shows: Food Network, baby.
Favorite Movies: Some Like It Hot, Somewhere In Time, Father of the Bride (the old one with Spencer Tracy).
Favorite Actors: John Cusack, John Corbett, Anthony Hopkins.
Favorite Actresses: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathryn Hepburn.
Favorite Sport: To watch: OSU football and anything my kids do outside. To play: swimming!!

Now. On to the homework.